Annapurna journo Bishnu Thapa has launched his latest book ‘Kheladi: Sangharsha Dekhi Safalatasamma’, which chronicles the journeys of Nepali athletes. The book was officially unveiled on Friday at a ceremony in Kathmandu by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development, Prakash Man Singh.

Speaking at the launch, Singh emphasized that sports are an essential indicator of a nation’s prosperity. He remarked that the book would not only serve as a source of inspiration for future generations but also as an important documentation of Nepali sports history.

Member-Secretary of the National Sports Council, Tanka Lal Ghising, praised the book for filling a gap in sports documentation. “Although stories about athletes appear in the media, they rarely get compiled into books. This book will inspire many others to write similar works,” he said, stressing the need to continue writing about athletes’ struggles and triumphs.

Author Thapa shared that the book captures the journeys of nearly five dozen athletes who have seen both ups and downs in their careers and brought recognition to Nepal at national and international levels. He said the material is based on his decades-long journalistic work, starting from Punarjagaran Weekly and spanning multiple publications over the years.

The book covers stories from Jit Bahadur KC, who earned Nepal’s first medal, to Palesa Goverdhan, who made history by winning a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. “I felt that the sacrifices, dedication, struggles, and successes of both veteran and young athletes should not just remain on newspaper pages—they deserve to be preserved as historical documents,” sports journalist Thapa said. He added, “This book will not just serve as a record for future generations but also motivate aspiring individuals to pursue a career in sports. We must now move beyond just writing stories—we must also archive them in book form.”